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Legendz
Viz Media | publisher_other = Star Comics | demographic = Shōnen | magazine = Monthly Shōnen Jump | first = 2003 | last = 2005 | volumes = 4 | volume_list = }} Arait Multimedia | network = Fuji TV, Animax | network_other = Canal Sur 2, Nickelodeon TV5 | first = April 4, 2004 | last = March 27, 2005 | episodes = 50 | episode_list = }} is a role-playing game, an anime, a toy, card game, and manga series. The manga is illustrated by Makoto Haruno (春野 まこと ''Haruno Makoto) and the story is by Rin Hirai (平井 隣 Hirai Rin). The manga was published in Shueisha's Monthly Shōnen Jump in Japan, and the manga is published in English by Viz Media. The manga had to be cut short due to the complete shutdown of Monthly Shōnen Jump. The anime, Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings (レジェンズ 甦る竜王伝説 Rejenzu Yomigaeru Ryūō Densetsu) is animated by Studio Gallop, directed by Akitaro Daichi, and aired on Fuji TV from April 4, 2004 to March 27, 2005. It is currently unknown if Bandai Entertainment will acquire the rights to the license of the English voice dub of the anime. Plot and setting Manga The Legendz manga is about a boy at Ryudo Elementary School (竜童学校 Ryūdō Gakkō) named Ken Kazaki, who, along with his loyal Windragon, Shiron, battles other people who raise and train monsters. He later enters the Legendz Carnival competition, where he learns of an evil that threatens the world. Anime The Legendz anime moves away from the Pokémon-esque "gotta catch em all" and monster training aspects and deals more with the overall background of the monster characters and their story. The Legendz anime opens with the discovery of the "Soul Dolls" which contain legendary creatures of incredible power within them. The Dark Wiz company (DWC) wants access to all of them for unknown reasons, but four of the Soul Dolls go missing. The majority of the anime takes place in Brooklyn, New York City, with the Brooklyn Bridge as a much-featured landmark. Characters Characters in the anime * : He's the "Kaze no Saga" or "Saga of Wind". A very absent-minded, irresponsible 11-year-old boy who loves baseball (which he's bad at) and cute girls (which upsets Meg greatly). Shu seems to be an unlikely hero but proves his worth in the later episodes. His Legendz is Shiron the Windragon. The character was taken from Now and Then, Here and There's Shuzo Matsutani (the Japanese name of that series is Matsutani Shūzō original Japanese name order). The character traits are the same. He also appears as a cameo at the end of the manga with Meg. * : The "Saga of Water". A pink-haired girl who is a friend of Shu. Her Legendz is Zuou the Bigfoot. Originally, she was comfortable with the idea of Legendz existing (normally Shiron hanging around with the kids) but as the series progresses, Meg begins to develop an intense dislike of them and fighting, because she feels that those are ruining the normal life she and her friends once had; she also admits to Legendz being physically frightening. She has a tendency to take pictures of people and things. Her most noteworthy trait is that she possesses a great deal of common sense among the three friends. As an intended running gag throughout the anime, whenever Shu does something that irritates Meg to the limit of her patience, she delivers her "Meg Chop" to Shu's head (in one case, she has used the chop on the Maze Octopus "Rapper King"). * : The "Saga of Earth". An obese boy who likes hamburgers and is a very perceptive friend of Shu and of most situations the group gets into. His Legendz is Garion the Griffin. Mac is very kind and isn't particularly upset by anything. He possesses a verbal tic that has him say "You know" at the end of nearly every sentence. * : The "Saga of Fire". A rich, but lonely boy who always carries a rose with him. His Legendz is Greedo the Blazedragon. Despite his status as a wealthy person, he is not arrogant or looks down on others as most stereotypical upper class are portrayed. He is very bitter towards his father and accuses of him of being the reason his mother left. * : A 25-year-old woman who has a life-long interest in all Legendz. She also fronts as a teacher at Shu's school. Her life is deeply entwined with Legendz more than she knows. She is particularly infatuated with Shiron, whom she flips out around every time he appears. At one point, she professes she is in love with Shiron. She spends a lot of her time researching her father's old books, where she discovers some startling and dark secrets about Legendz. BB/'Bouchou' * : A purple-haired woman sent to retrieve the Wind Talispod from Shu. Though she works hard to steal it from him, she is not an unkind person as seen later on. She eventually comes to question the methods of DWC and quits, along with J1 and J2. Her actual name is Bunny Brookmeyer, as revealed in Episode 46. J1 and J2 * Voiced by: Eiji Takemoto (J1) and Tsuyoshi Maeda (J2) : Two agents who work under BB. They are referred to as J1 and J2 as they have the same name "Jack Johnson". President of DWC * : A small, pitiful man who "controls" DWC in place of the CEO. He is constantly bullied and intimidated by Ranshiin in just about every episode they are together, most often due to either Ranshiin being unhappy with the electric fans he uses to air himself or because of the constant failures to retrieve Shu's Talispod. * : Shu's dad who works at DWC. He gives Shu the Wind Talispod. A seemingly typical Japanese father who just wants his son to be happy. * : Shu's mother. Despite a seemingly minor role in the anime, her involvement in the story becomes deeper toward the end. Much like Shu's father, she simply wants Shu to be happy with things. * : Dino's father, who was the president of the Duck Mind Company. He and Sasuke develop the Talisdam, an upgrade of the Talispod, with three Soul Doll docking bays. * : A wind-type Legendz who can't remember his past. His attack is "Wing Tornado". The main Legendz character. He is fond of windy days and is actually quite social, despite the fact he spends a great deal of his time in his lesser form, a hamster-like animal (nicknamed "Nezuccho" or 'ねずっちょ') that can't say anything beyond that of "ga ga ga." During parts of episodes, Shiron's form is also mistaken for a "white mouse" or "white mouse with wings". * : A fire-type Legendz, he transforms into a rose which Dino takes around with him. Greedo is part of a three-Legendz team called G-W-Nicole. Despite his rebel appearance and tough personality he slowly grows to befriend Dino and is actually quite friendly. He is a stark contrast to Dino in many ways. * : Earth-type Legendz. A member of Greedo's group, G-W-Nicole. * : Wind-type Legendz. A member of Greedo's group, G-W-Nicole. * : An earth-type Legendz. Wise and powerful, frightening when provoked, she can be set in her ways. * : A water-type Legendz (though his attacks actually consist of ice and snow). He is young and naïve, but cares for Meg and will protect her at all costs, despite Meg's initial desire for him to stay away from her. * : A mysterious black-winged Windragon who seems to be the one in true control of DWC (he bullies and intimidates the President of the company constantly) and has an interest in Shiron as he is very similar to him. But Shiron isn't as bad-hearted or superior in every way as Ranshiin is and loses every fight with him. He is malevolent, aggressive, black-hearted, psycopathic, and spends his time harrasing, teasing, and bullying. He seems to be rather easily annoyed by the lack of wind at where he's staying and uses electrical fans often. Ranshiin is physically and mentally an antithesis to Shiron in every way. The idea of him being such a mysterious character stems from the fact that his bio always appears as a series of question marks in the opening theme. In addition, it seems he is prone to small fits of insanity. Towards the end of the show, it is revealed that he and Shiron are two halves of the same Windragon. It is also shown at the end of the series that he, like Shiron, also has a lesser, hamster-like form (nicknamed "Waruccho" or 'わるっちょ'). Minor/miscellaneous characters in the anime Goblin : Summoned by BB to attack Shu in the first episode so he will surrender the wind talispod. While at DWC, he seems to be a file clerk. Big Goblin : Formed by multiple goblins merging together, Shiron's 1st opponent. Storm Worm : Shiron's 2nd opponent. Does not put up much of a fight. Giant Crab : Shiron's 3rd opponent. It only really wants to return to the sea. Dandy the Devour Crocodile : First appears in episode 4. A water-type Legendz who is hired by DWC to negotiate with Shu for his Talispod, but is reformed and does good deeds. He calls Shiron his "aniki", which means "older brother", in a way, leader. Later in the series, Dandy opens up a bar for Legendz to hang out at called "Cafe Wani no Ana", meaning "Crocodile Cave Cafe". He snaps at people when he is called a crocodile. He apparently knows Salamander, as he mentions him by name in episode 4, but exactly how they met is unknown (their friendship is unusual in that they are both opposite elements). Voice Actor: Kouji Ishii Anna the Harpy : First appears in episode 5. A caring, free-spirited wind-type Legendz who disguises herself as a young girl to steal Shu's Talispod. However, she realizes that she cares for Shu. Fire Giant : He belongs to Ed, the self proclaimed Fire Saga. Though he knows Ed isn't very reliable, he supports him as best he can. Cait Sith : An intelligent cat Legendz working for DWC. However, his weakness is that he can behave very much like an ordinary cat (chasing mice, lying in sunlight, etc.) though that was due to Shu's constant attempts at proving he was literally a cat. Hellhounds : Five dog Legendz that combine into one. They greatly endangered Meg's life. Rapper King the Maze Octopus : A water-type Legendz who has more of a desire to sing instead of fight. Despite his name, what he sings can't be considered rap. Willowisp : Fire Legendz, used as a distraction to get Shiron's attention. Chimera : Shape shifting Legendz, one of Shiron's first difficult opponents. This legendz can split into fiery forms of a goat, lion, eagle, and a snake. Kraken : Water Legendz, attacks Shiron when he goes off on his own. Zombie : Dark Legendz, able to reform no matter their damage. Skeleton : Sent by Ranshiin to test Shiron, summons zombies to fight him. He is actually quite irritating and more of a nuisance than anything due to his exasperating tone of voice. Golem Assassin Bug Gargoyle : A powerful dark Legendz summoned by Skeleton to deal with Shiron. Bicorn : A dark unicorn Legendz who goes by the name "Kirubito" (Killbeat), she delights in the suffering of others. Her strongest ability is making anyone relive their worst fear, which she particularly enjoyed subjecting Greedo to. Lesser Gargoyle : Summoned by Bicorn to cause panic amongst the people. Yeti : Ice-Type Legendz similar to Zouh who happened to interrupt a baseball game and fought Zouh. He was difficult for a few minutes but then Zouh suddenly transformed to his 2nd form and took Yeti down. Salamander : Appears in episode 20 disguised as a hotdog vendor at Coney Island. A fire-type Legendz summoned by BB to capture Shu's talipod, but fails. A few episodes later, he reunites with Dandy and works at his bar, "Cafe Wani no Ana". Voice Actor: Eiji Takemoto Jin : A wind-type Legendz that tries to steal Shiron's cap, summons Cloud Giant when he is outmatched. Cloud Giant : An extremely gigantic wind-type Legendz summoned by Jin to fight Shiron after stealing Shiron's cap. He is so huge, his head literally could be in the clouds. Dwarf Vampire : Dark Legendz, summoned by Haruka and Ranshiin to take Shiron down, also fights and loses to Garion. Mr. English (Eigo A-ta) : A strange carrot-nosed character who randomly appears in the show and speaks in Engrish. Eigo assumes the role of narrator, though it is not consistent narration. Ms. General Affairs (Soumu-san) : A polite-speaking employee of DWC who appears randomly to assist BB. Perkins : An absentminded scientist working for DWC. Richard/Robert/Steve : A strange little man, who is constantly changing his name and hunting profession. Ed : The self proclaimed Fire Saga, but he is actually a timid man with few talents. Meg's parents : Meg's mother and father, who have a small role in the anime. They are concerned for their daughter's happiness, but they know Meg makes the right choices. Mac's parents : Mac's mother and father, who have relatively minor roles in the anime despite their concern for their son. Mac's father seems to be a pottery maker. Important storyline characters in the anime Selba : Greedo's past Saga, who was killed by Greedo's archrival Killbeat, a bicorn. Tornado Elemental Legion (Blue) : Fusion of Shiron, Zuou, and Garion Volcano Elemental Legion (Red) : Fusion of Greedo, Wolfie, and Leon Spiritual Elemental Legion (Gold) : Fusion of Shiron, Garion, and Greedo CEO of DWC : As his name implies, he is the one who pulls all the strings at DWC (he wields more authority than Ranshiin). His entrance into the series is late, but his role is one of the most important. Tornado King Dragon : One of the four Dragon Kings. Governs all wind-type Legendz Storm King Dragon : One of the four Dragon Kings. Governs all water-type Legendz Volcano King Dragon : One of the four Dragon Kings. Governs all fire-type Legendz Earthquake King Dragon : One of the four Dragon Kings. Governs all earth-type Legendz Jabberwock : A terrifying gigantic Legendz who is rightfully feared by those who have heard of him. He wields the power to manipulate both humans and Legendz. The Legendz gods : Mysterious divine Legendz that appear near the end of the series, their only interest is in speaking to Shiron. The leader of these gods (a being cloaked in bright light so you can't make out his face) tends to go off subject and the others interrupt him before he goes off on a tangent. Wind-Maker?/Kanerudo Windragon : An incredibly powerful Legendz of "legend" who had the power to wield all the elements. He was once the general of the army of Legendz and the heir to the throne of Tornado King Dragon. He nearly brought the world to ruin long ago and has not been heard from since, becoming no more than a legend. He is depicted in the removed and hidden final pages of the "Book of Legendz", along with many pages worth of undeciphered text. He is later reavealed to be Shiron himself when he and Ranshiin combine as one. Characters in the manga : A normally aloof kid who takes Legendz seriously. His Legendz is the . He is the Wind Saga. He's really been influenced by Eiji Yashiro, after he had been beaten twice by him and ruthlessly pressed Shiron into training. Ken has a way of forcing others to drink his green tonic (that his grandmother made) for him; once his grandmother accidentally stuffed it down Yuki's throat, and he had pushed Shiron into doing so. : A girl talented at Legendz who has a Mermaid Tetty. She is the Saga of Water. The Water Saga's greatest gift is one of healing, which she used to the maximum when driven to do so. She likes Ken, and was shocked when learned that he was going to America. : The champion of the previous year's Legendz Carnival. His Legendz is a Dwarf named Kotaro. When Ken was in third grade, Eiji taught him to respect his Legendz because they are alive. He moved to America shortly after that. He liked to flick Ken's forehead and grin, "I sure like your forehead." : A boy who loses to Ririko every time despite all of his research on the game. When Ririko makes it to the finals of a school Legendz tournament, he takes out a case filled with many talispods, showing that he may raise numerous Legends at one time. : The school bully who thinks that he is the best at Legendz. Hosuke has a Troll named Banriki. He wants the Golden Soul Figure. He even tried cheating in the school Legendz tournament to acquire it. He was in the Ryudo Elementary Four, but it is unknown if he was kicked out. Ken calls him "troll." : Hosuke's younger brother who wants to win at Legendz. However, his neglection of his Werewolf Balthus prevents his victory. When Balthus is driven to attack him and Hosuke, Shunsuke refuses to attack back and instead defends himeself and Hosuke, remarking that "Balthus is my best friend." Yet, later on, he loses to Tetty and Ririko. : The son of the president of DWC. He runs this year's Legendz Carnival competition. His Legendz is the Blazedragon Greedo. Leo is one of the two Fire Sagas. He had red eyes and fire came out of his hands, and had no friends as a child but his sister. : A contestant in the Legendz Carnival. She is the daughter of a Legendz researcher looking for crystals (her character background is very similar to Haruka's in the anime). Her Legendz is Bjork the Golem. She is the Earth Saga. Ken calls her "Miss Underwear," because in the Legendz Carnival, she wore bloomers that Ken thought at first were underwear. / Namio Curly : Leo's assistant. His most prominent feature is his large Afro-style wig. He loves wigs, and tries them on when alone. He's even shown trying on a camo-styled wig. He's been with Leo a while. : Leo's older twin sister. Mio was kidnapped by Necrom, the Dark Kingdom. Mio is the other Fire Saga. She occasionally pulls on Leo's face, and once made him promise that he would be strong. Meiko Kajiwara : Meiko is a sixth grader at Kokuryu Elementary School and is Hosuke's self-proclaimed girlfriend. Meiko kidnaps Ririko to lure Ken to the school. Then she battles Ken with her Assassin Bug, Baiks (and loses, too). : A sixth grader at Ken's school. Yuki offers Ken his Golden Soul Figure if Ken proves himself as worthy of the soul figure. Ken's reply? He stuffed it into Yuki's mouth. He is the leader of the Ryudo Four and wields the Yeti Gosetsu. : Another sixth grader who has a Kansai dialect. She is a member of the Ryudo Four. Her Legendz is Suzu, a Catsy. Both of them love meat buns. : Ken's rather eccentric grandmother. She makes green tonic (which Ken really hates). She also tells fortunes and somehow drove across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to America. : Jabberwock is the Lord of Necrom, summoned by Skeleton Lord Lich. He was incompletely resurrected; only the power of the Water Saga and some of the Fire Saga was used in his resurrection by Lich. : A soft-spoken member of the Ryudo Four. His Legendz, Sofia, is a Cloud Giant. Legendz types of the manga * Windragon - Known owner: Ken Kazaki A powerful wind element dragon. * Fire Giant - Known owner: Taizo "Hentai" Henmi A large fire element golem. It is about tall and can pull its sword out of its body. * Troll - Known owner: Hosuke Dekai The most powerful earth element Legendz up to date. It has amazing raw strength and lethal 1 hit kills. * Mermaid - Known owner: Ririko Yasuhara A water element Legendz with healing abilities and very low HP. * Werewolf - Known owner: Shunsuke Dekai Quick and stealthy earth element Legendz. It has a very fast long ranged attack that can be used consecutively for great damage. * Yeti - Known owner: Yuki Amagi Large water element Legendz that focuses on ice attacks. Proficient at counterattacks and regeneration. * Black Hound - Known owners: Kokuryu Elementary Blackhounds (employed by Hosuke Dekai) Fire element dog-like Legendz that usually attack in packs although alone they are very weak. * Dwarf - Known owner: Eiji Yashiro Small earth element Legendz with low HP and defense. About tall but with training it can become rather powerful. * Assassin Bug - Known owner: Meiko Kajiwara A large wind element bee Legendz. Very speedy with long range poisnous attacks. * Catsy - Known owner: Maki Mitsui Freakishly large earth element cat. It likes meat and doesn't like to fight. * Giant Crab - Known owner: Kogao Kino Strong water element crab. Large and has regeneration abilities, but incredibly slow. * Triton - Known owner: Goh Tokudaiji Very agile water element "lord of the water". Can manipulate water however they desire, and are very powerful around bodies of water. Episodes list # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Theme songs * by Kyoko (OP) * by Brenda Vaughn (ED, EPS 1-37) and Linda Yamamoto (ED, EPS 38-49) Staff Cast *Akemi Okamura as Shuu *Kazuhiko Inoue as Shiron *Masami Suzuki as Mac *Megumi Nasu as Meg *Omi Minami as Dino *Yuri Amano as BB Youko *Yuriko Fuchizaki as Halca *Ayaka Saito as Bigfoot *Eiji Takemoto as J1 and Salamander *Haruhi Terada as Chiagall *Hidenobu Kiuchi as Group Member *Hiroyuki Sawada as Sasuke *Kazuhiko Inoue as Ranshiin *Kotono Mitsuishi as Kirubito (eps 25-26, 29-30) *Kouji Ishii as Bruno and Dandy Crocodile *Mika Doi as Garion *Miyuki Sawashiro as English A/Treasurer *Reiko Yasuhara as Melissa *Takashi Matsuyama as President *Takeshi Maeda as J2 and Lion *Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi as Gurido *Yuto Nakano as Wolfy *Zeruketsuka as Zeruketsuka Producers *Director: Akitaro Daichi *Original creator: Kenji Watanabe *Original Character Design:Nagisa Miyazaki *Sound director: Kazuya Tanaka *Series Concept: Hiroshi Nagahama *Animation Production: Studio Gallop Trivia Shuzo Matsutani is also a character in Now and Then, Here and There. Now and Then, Here and There has a darker tone than Legendz. In addition in Now and Then, Here and There Shuzo is from Tokyo, Japan instead of New York City. The traditional Japanese naming order (family name, given name) is used for his name in the Japanese version of Now and Then, Here and There while in the Japanese version of Legendz his name is in the Western order (given name, family name). At the end of the Legendz Manga, Ken runs past 2 kids while in New York City. Though one of the kid's faces is not shown, it appears that the kid who is shown, is none other than Shu, the star of the anime series. The other one is obviously Meg, if one notices the clothes and hair and the fact that the two of them are seen together often. Ranshiin is a Legendz exclusive to the anime, most likely because his relation to Shiron wouldn't have much relevance in the manga's storyline. Because the anime and the manga are two entirely different stories, Shiron's personality is portrayed as being much more friendly in the manga and having less of an attitude than he does in the anime. He is also shorter, less muscular in build and appears to be slightly rotund (Kaoruko calls him "fat dragon" at one point). External links * Legendz Anime Site * Legendz manga site * Category:Action anime and manga Category:Anime of 2004 Category:Creature anime and manga Category:Fantasy anime and manga Category:Manga of 2003 Category:Viz Media manga Category:Dragons in fiction ko:용의 전설 레전더 it:Legendz - La leggenda dei re draghi ja:レジェンズ sv:Legendz tl:Legendz